I am pleased to share the news about promotions and new hires that have occurred at Travois this fall. The expertise of our staff members is unparalleled, and these changes ensure that we bring our clients and partners an even higher level of service than ever before.
Five familiar faces have been promoted and have new responsibilities at Travois: Bryan Schuler, vice president for housing development, Mike Price, director of Travois Asset Management, Crystal Banks-Mann, compliance manager, Rachel Nass, compliance specialist, and Jason Betts, construction and environmental professional.
We are excited to introduce two new hires: Lauren Wendlandt, architect, and Alicia Copeland, compliance specialist. Both of these women have many years of experience in their fields, and they look forward to getting to know you better. They bring added industry expertise to our staff and we are thrilled to have them join us.
Read about our talented and experienced staff below:
Bryan Schuler, vice president for housing development, manages Travois’ nationwide portfolio of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects and implements housing development strategies. He directs the development staff on their work with tribes and tribal housing authorities to develop affordable housing projects from initial planning to application to closing with an investor and on to closeout and ongoing operations. Additionally, Bryan manages and cultivates Travois’ relationships with equity investors interested in pursuing investments in tribal LIHTC projects. He served on a Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) Advisory Committee that made changes to the 2010-2011 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) and continues to be instrumental in fostering relationships with all state housing agencies. Bryan joined Travois in 2005 and previously served as development director. Bryan graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in cognitive science.
Mike Price, director of Travois Asset Management, is a Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP), as designated by the National Association of Home Builders, and also holds the designations of Housing Compliance Manager for HUD (HCM-H) and Rural Development (HCM-R), National Compliance Professional (NCP) and Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS). He trains, oversees and manages the asset management team, who ensure that all client projects are rented to qualified low-income households and maintain compliance with the different program requirements for the life of the projects. He advocates on behalf of our tribal clients for appropriate regulatory or policy changes at the state and federal level and ensures that all state allocating agency and investor requirements are met. Mike attends industry trainings and conferences to help educate tribes about compliance rules and program requirements. He received a degree in criminal justice from Southern Illinois University and a degree from the University of Missouri–St Louis for information technology.
Crystal Banks-Mann, compliance manager, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Travois Asset Management team, assesses compliance risks and helps develop risk management strategies for clients. In addition, she reviews tenant files, conducts on-site inspections and monitoring, and assists clients with investor and state reporting requirements. She is a Housing Credit Certified Professional (HCCP), as designated by the National Association of Home Builders, a Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM), given by the National Affordable Housing Management Association, a Housing Compliance Manager for Rural Development Programs (HCM-R) from Zeffert Associates, and a National Compliance Professional (NCP), administered by Elizabeth Moreland Consulting. Crystal is also certified as a Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) & Tax Credit Compliance Professional (NTCCP) and leads trainings for compliance professionals seeking the NTCCP certification, in collaboration with the National American Indian Housing Council. She attended Missouri Western State University, is working toward a degree is sociology and has worked in the affordable housing industry since 2000. She joined Travois Asset Management in 2012.
Rachel Nass, compliance specialist, reviews initial tenant and recertification files and helps clients with investor and state reporting requirements. Rachel recently passed the Site Compliance Specialist (SCS) exam through the Housing Credit College and will receive her designation soon. She also holds an associate degree from Central Florida College.
Jason Betts, construction and environmental professional, performs monthly on-site building code inspections for projects under construction and provides detailed progress reports to clients, investors and state agencies through Travois Design & Construction Services. He also creates customized construction cost budgets, monitors construction schedules and researches, analyzes and creates reports for building code changes and construction industry best practices. Jason performs Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, which includes exploring sites, interviewing the landowners or operators and reviewing environmental and historical data. As projects progress through environmental reviews and toward closing, Jason also helps with the creation, collection and review of legal documents and helps coordinate third-party services and reports to help meet clients’ needs. Jason holds two certifications accredited by the Environmental Protection Agency: Asbestos Inspector and Management Planner and Certified Environmental Scientist. He holds a degree in geology/geophysics from Kansas State University and an MBA from Park University.
Lauren Wendlandt is an architect for Travois Design & Construction Services and is responsible for managing or contributing to design and construction projects taken on by the TD&CS team. She helps research, plan and budget for client projects that move from schematics to final drawings and specifications sets and provides construction oversight during the building phase. Prior to joining Travois, she was a principal at Framework Design, a firm she co-founded, and worked at other firms including Vivienda Moderna, Studio E Architects and Skidmore Owings and Merrill. She specializes in low-income, multifamily housing. She is also a visiting instructor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Kansas City Design Center and serves on the College of Architecture Planning and Design Board at Kansas State University. Lauren graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in architecture and is registered with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
Alicia Copeland, compliance specialist, helps clients to meet investor and state reporting requirements and reviews tenant files to ensure accuracy. She has worked in the compliance industry since 2000, and also brings two years of prior tax credit experience to Travois. Alicia has a degree in business management from Park University.